Brewster Academy (also called BA) is a co-educational independent boarding school located on 80 acres (32 ha) in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire USA. It occupies 1/2 mile (800 m) of shoreline along Lake Winnipesaukee. With around 380 students, it serves grades nine through twelve, in addition to post-graduates. The 2013 full boarding tuition at BA is $49,900.

Contents

The school was founded in 1820 by local citizens as a "building for higher education." Once called Wolfeboro & Tuftonboro Academy, in 1887 it was renamed Brewster Free Academy in honor of John Brewster, a benefactor. For sixty years it charged no tuition fee to area residents, and from its inception through 1964, the school served as the only high school in Wolfeboro. (The town began to pay local students' tuition starting in 1947.) During the immediate postwar years it was a popular school with military veterans seeking to improve their credentials for a university education under the GI Bill. In 1963 the graduating class consisted of 60 local students, with 30 additional post-graduate students, who boarded on campus. Many of these were there to increase their athletic prowess, and some, including Milt Morin who played in the NFL, had successful college and pro sports careers. The local students were then shifted to Kingswood Regional High School in town, and Brewster became a private boarding school.

In 1985, Digital Equipment Corporation co-founder Ken Olsen donated a number of Digital personal computers to Brewster. The computers were part of a new lab dedicated to Grace Murray Hopper, whose family had a summer house in Wolfeboro. The lab is called the Grace Murray Hopper Center for Computer Learning.

In 2014, Brewster's Varsity A Basketball Team won their third National Prep Basketball Championships. Five alumni have played in the NBA with others projected to be selected in the 2014 NBA Draft in June.

Brewster Academy began their one-to-one laptop program in 1993. Since that time each new freshman or sophomore admission to Brewster receives an Apple laptop upon arrival on campus, and this laptop will be with them for the remainder of their time at the Academy. Juniors and seniors are expected to provide their own laptop unless special financial or other aid is given. Most of the classes require software tools for students' work and to ensure constant communication among students, parents and administrators. Through online portfolios, students post their work to be reviewed and evaluated by faculty and shared with parents. Throughout their own portal, grades and academic status are constantly posted to all students.

Most of the faculty live around campus with their families. Some of them are dorm parents, who take care of students in dorm. Dorm parents have dorm meetings once a week to discuss problems in student's life in dorm. Most of the married dorm parents live with their family at their home, which is connected with dorm.

Faculty are prepared and trained at the Brewster Summer Institute, a four-week professional development program designed to assist teachers in accelerating student growth. Each instructor is placed on an eight-member team that teaches and advises students in a single grade. Teams meet three or four times weekly to discuss each student’s progress and performance. Class size averages 12, and the student-teacher ratio is 6:1. In addition to teaching, faculty serve as coaches and dorm parents.

Brewster has a diverse selection of interscholastic sports along with recreational, intramural, and instructional sports during the fall, winter and spring seasons. Among the interscholastic sports, Brewster fields varsity, junior varsity, and co-ed teams, as well as eight- and four-person shells on the crew teams. Games are typically played on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with a half day of classes on Wednesdays to accommodate game schedules. During games and during regular practices, an athletic trainer is available to help students. The teams are coached by faculty at all levels. Many faculty live on campus and some are also dorm parents, which allows students to connect more with every member of the community.

The academy holds numerous New England and Lakes Region League Championship titles.

The boys' prep basketball team won the 2015, 2014, 2012 and 2010 National Prep School Championship, as well as the NEPSAC Class AAA Championship in 2015, 2014, 2013, 2010, and 2008. The program has sent approximately 100 alumni to NCAA Division I programs over the past 14 years. Some Brewster alumni include: CJ Fair (Syracuse), Melvin Ejim (Iowa St), Craig Brackins (Iowa St), TJ Warren (NC State), Semaj Christon (Xavier), Mitch McGary (Michigan), Thomas Robinson (Kansas), JaKarr Sampson (St. John's), Jeff Adrien (UConn), and others. There have been nine Brewster alumni to be drafted and / or play in the NBA since 2010.